Memorize

Vivienne transformed from a human into a spider. For that transformation to occur, either physical modification or infection is essential, and both processes require a catalyst called a "Core." The core can be any material imbued with mana, but the most common example is a mana stone. While one might dismiss it as "just a mana stone," Vivienne's case was far from ordinary.

The mana stone embedded within her body gradually became a fundamental part of her being over time. For humans, it would be akin to a heart or the central nexus of magical energy. It holds mana, processes it, and acts as the channel through which countless flows of mana circulate daily. Over the years, the mana stone that became her core transformed into a type of internal essence, a refined version of itself.

Of course, it couldn't truly compare to the divine cores of sacred beasts or the spiritual cores of mythical entities. But still, it was valuable—better to have it than not. Deliberately, I put on a serious, contemplative expression.

"Hm. It's a little lacking."

"Huh? Oh, come on~. Cut me some slack. I'm telling you, that's really all there is!"

"Really?"

"Yes, yes. Really, really."

"Really?"

After I kept pressing her, Vivienne's face scrunched up in frustration, and she finally yelled in protest.

"You're so frustrating. I'm telling the truth! If you don't believe me, just search me yourself!"

"I want that." I said, slowly raising my finger to point at her body.

Vivienne looked at my finger, then followed its direction with her gaze. Finally, her eyes landed on her own body, and she looked at me with an incredulous expression before speaking.

"Hey, human male. I'm curious about something. Do you have... unusual tastes?"

"Tastes?"

"Yeah. Like... wanting to sex with a spider or something..."

"Shut it."

"Eek! Sorry!"

I cut her off immediately. What nonsense is she spouting now? My face must have turned menacing because Vivienne immediately dropped her gaze and started trembling. Watching her for a moment, I deliberately unsheathed my sword and began to spin it in my hand.

The more I spun it, the more pronounced her trembling became. Somehow, her reaction sparked an odd urge to tease her further. Still, given the circumstances, I restrained myself and spoke in a calm tone.

"I don't mean I want to have sex with you. I mean, I want what's inside you."

"Inside me…? There's nothing useful inside me. Want me to spin some silk for you or something?"

"No, no. Not that. That's not what I mean. You were human before, right?"

"Yeah."

Vivienne nodded obediently, and I couldn't help but feel a bit guilty bringing this up. Still, I steeled myself and pressed on.

"When you turned into a spider, there must've been some kind of catalyst—some mana-infused material."

"Of course. Honestly, you're impressively knowledgeable about all this—wait. Are you talking about my core?"

"Exactly."

"You're asking for my core? Are you insane?"

Whether it was her memory of the process or her firsthand knowledge from experimentation, Vivienne immediately grasped my meaning. Her wide-eyed stare fixed on me as I firmly nodded. She froze for a moment before snapping back to her senses, her expression a mix of shock and disbelief.

"No way. You're joking, right?"

"I'm not joking."

"Oh, come on. It's obvious you're joking. Ha ha, very funny… right?"

"Nope. Hand it over. Give me the core along with these treasures, and I'll let you live. Deal?"

I held out my pinky as if to seal the promise. Vivienne's face contorted in disbelief, and she retreated a step, her voice rising in protest.

"You're out of your mind! Why would I give you that?"

"Don't worry, you won't die from losing it."

"Yeah, I know that! But would you rip out your own heart or mana circuits if someone asked? Does that even make sense?"

"Of course not. But anyway, hand it over."

"Stop casually asking for it! No way!"

"Give it."

"Kill me! Just kill me already! I'd rather die than give it to you! If I lose that core, I'll be— eek!"

"Oh? Is that so? Well, what a shame."

I stepped forward, sword in hand. Vivienne shuddered as if an icy chill ran down her spine, stumbling back in alarm. But this was her lair, and there was nowhere to escape. She glanced toward the passage behind me, clearly weighing her limited options, before speaking in a frantic tone.

"Wait! Wait! Put the sword away, okay? Let's talk this out. Come on! Stop moving closer!"

Being the reasonable person I am, I stopped. Lowering my sword, I repeated my terms, my voice clear and measured.

"Let me say it again. Give me these treasures and your core, and we'll call it even for your life."

"That's ridiculous—"

"Negotiations over."

Unable to contain her frustration, Vivienne finally exploded.

"You heartless monster!!!"

"Oh, look who's finally showing her true colors. I knew it." I sighed. "You know, this is getting annoying. Maybe I should just kill you, take the core myself, and dissect that body of yours while I'm at it…"

Humming a tune, I started walking again, only to catch Vivienne's incredulous face staring at me. Her expression was a whirlwind of emotions: frustration, indignation, fear—a cocktail of negatives swirling together. Part of me thought, Just cry already… Wait, what the hell is wrong with me? Am I really going crazy?

I shook off the stray thoughts, focusing instead as I channeled my mana. A brilliant glow of energy enveloped my sword, and as the sword gleamed menacingly, my own face turned colder. Noticing the shift in my demeanor, Vivienne frantically glanced around, desperately searching for an escape route. But it was pointless; the lair was already saturated with my killing intent.

Still clinging to a sliver of hope, she scuttled up the wall in a last-ditch effort to flee. But with a swift, lightning-fast motion, I closed the distance and swung my sword. It sliced cleanly, the sensation akin to cutting through soft tofu, and one of Vivienne's legs tumbled to the floor. She let out a pained scream, collapsing as she writhed in agony on the ground. Ignoring her cries, I raised my sword above her head.

"Goodbye. You were a pretty entertaining one, at least."

"W-wait! Just wait a moment!"

"Hm? Fine, I'll listen to your last words."

Squeezing her eyes shut as she cried out, Vivienne cautiously peeked one eye open when she heard my response. Once she realized I had paused, she let out a small sigh of relief, though it quickly faded as the gravity of her situation settled in. I could see her trembling, her wide eyes beginning to glisten with tears. Oh, here it comes… Damn.

Anyway, as she met my gaze, it seemed to dawn on her that I wasn't bluffing. Her small lips finally parted.

"I'll give it to you…"

"What was that? Speak up."

"I'll give it to you! Just don't kill me, you bastard! Waaaaah!"

Unable to hold back her frustration, Vivienne burst into tears. Watching her sob, I couldn't help but smile slightly. She had a pretty face, after all. It made me curious about what she must've looked like as a human. Grinning, I lowered my sword.

"Smart choice. Haha."

"Waaaah! You monster! Wahhh! I can't believe this! Wahhhhhh!"

I took the trouble to raise the spider again myself. She willingly accepted my touch, but her crying didn't stop. In fact, seeing Vivienne crying, pounding the floor with her remaining legs, I scratched my head. Did I treat her that harshly? Watching the spider, who was shedding tears non-stop, made me feel a little sorry for her. Also, seeing her unable to stand properly with three of her legs cut off, tilting her body, made me feel even more guilty.

''Huuuhhh... ughhh...''

"Hey, shut up."

My words came out contrary to my inner thoughts. Still, whether it was because of my warning or not, Vivienne shut her mouth. However, unable to stop her sobbing, she continued to tremble her legs (probably her shoulders) while tears and snot dripped down. Despite this, Vivienne hesitated and looked at me with a pleading gaze, as if asking, "Really? Are you really going to take it?" After waiting a moment, I continued with a frustrated look on my face.

"Are you stalling? If you're going to give it, just give it already. Ah, maybe I should just take it and leave."

"Fine, damn it. I'll give it to you… ughhh."

Unable to contain the sorrow that welled up inside her after my firm response, Vivienne once again broke into wailing, making her stomach bulge. It seemed like she was trying to push out the core from her center. Once, twice, three times. As Vivienne continued to bulge her stomach, she looked at me with a face full of despair, as if it were the last. I quietly drew my sword.

"Give it to me! Ugh! You damn bastard! Bad bastard! Waaaaahhh!"

In response to Vivienne's curses, I simply shrugged. Soon, as she pushed out the core for the final time, a dark, round object shot out along with a surge of fluid. It seemed to have been stored for quite a while, as it was almost the size of an adult's palm. I quickly checked the information.

'You have acquired the core of Alchemist Vivienne.'

Finally, having expelled the core, Vivienne slumped and collapsed, her face filled with emptiness. She seemed to have exhausted all her energy. Tears slowly rolled down her face and onto the floor as she lay there. With a satisfied expression, I reached out for the core. Then, a small voice reached my ears from Vivienne.

"Ugh... it's poisonous. Ugh...! If you just grab it like that... you'll die."

Even in her state, she still worried. This girl is really funny. I chuckled and grabbed the core with my hand. Vivienne's face quickly twisted in an odd way, and then she looked at me with a mixture of concern and anticipation. Wanting to tease her more, I quickly grabbed my hand and shouted.

"Ugh! It feels like the poison is already spreading... ugh! I'm going to die."

"What, what? Hey! That's why I... ah... no, this isn't it! Oh yeah! Serves you right!"

I lightly caused a flame to form in my hand and immediately infused it with my intent. The intent I poured in was to remove the poisonous energy inside the core. Soon, the core, which had been rolling round in my hand, began to change color gradually. At first, it was pitch black without a speck of dust, but as time passed, it slowly began to revert to its original blue color.

This was the advantage of the Mythic-tier. If it were a lower-tier like the Elemental tier, I would have to burn it out, but with the Mythic-tier flame, I could control it according to my will and adjust it however I wanted. Vivienne watched the process with an amazed look. After completing the process, I placed the core into my pocket, and she stared at me with a blank expression. I smiled and said, "Actually, it was a lie." When I said that, she pouted her lips and, once again, broke into tears. I couldn't help but laugh at the sight.

After some time had passed, Vivienne, with an exhausted expression, slumped down on the ground. I spoke to her, who was still there. Of course, by that time, I had already taken all the items in her pockets.

"Congratulations. As promised, I'll spare your life. Haha. Don't think too badly of me. By the way, here's some information… It's better for you to leave the dungeon as soon as possible. The dungeon's details will soon be public, and the city inspection team will be investigating it."

"I don't care!"

"You're going to die if you stay here, you know?"

"Anyway, now that I've lost my core, I've lost most of my power! Even if I go outside, the situation will be the same! I'll die whether I stay or leave… ugh!"

Vivienne, who had been muttering with a sharp expression, suddenly contorted her face in pain. It seemed that she could no longer control her body due to the loss of her core.

"Ugh... kuh... it hurts... it hurts so much!"

Vivienne cried out in pain as she looked at me, but there was nothing I could do for her. If there was one thing I could offer, it would be to end her suffering. I pointed to my sword with an innocent expression, and Vivienne turned her head away with a look of betrayal, trembling in fear.

"You're a bad person... sniff... I gave you both my body and heart... ugh... kuh! Aaaahhh!"

"What nonsense are you talking about?"

I snorted and watched Vivienne. Then, as I continued to watch, I was a bit surprised by what happened next. Vivienne's body started to twist violently, and soon, her legs began to slowly detach one by one. It was as if her body were a robot, being disassembled, twisting and turning. I couldn't help but watch, captivated. Could this phenomenon be...?

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